


Tie a Red String

by Djaeka



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrienette endgame, Adrinette, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Endgame Adrienette, F/M, Fate & Destiny, Gen, Lukanette, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmates, adrienette - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-30
Updated: 2019-11-20
Packaged: 2020-11-08 14:35:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,884
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20837102
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Djaeka/pseuds/Djaeka
Summary: Marinette has always focused on her career over romance, assuming that when she found her soulmate they would fit into her life plans somehow. They were meant to be, after all. And Luka perfectly supports her, ensuring that both of their individual lives can come together seamlessly. So now that he’s asked her to marry him, the conclusion is obvious. But when she meets a boy without a soulmate mark she starts to wonder: Is her fate pre-determined or can she choose to leave destiny behind?





	1. Soulmates

**Author's Note:**

  * For [CaughtFeelings](https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaughtFeelings/gifts).

> HAPPY BIRTHDAY CAUGHTFEELINGS!!! You’re the best and I hope this hits happy buttons for you 💕 (How did you manage to inspire your own birthday fic?)

Marinette covered her ears abruptly as the screeching noise Alya emitted became less excited and a _lot_ more piercing to her. A wide grin spread across her face, and she allowed her friend to continue her squealing for as long as she could manage to hold off breathing. She only dropped her hands from her head when she saw the signs of Alya both calming down and breathing normally again. Her hands only got about as far as her stomach before Alya grabbed both of them in hers, shaking them violently up and down.

“Mari! I can’t _believe_ he asked you to _marry_ him, oh my God!” Marinette winced a little at the pitch of Alya’s voice, but kept her grin steady on her face.

“I know, right? It’s not like I’ve even graduated université yet and now...”

“Now you’re going to be Mrs. Couffaine!” A banging noise sounded through the wall Marinette shared with her next door neighbor and she motioned frantically to Alya to be quieter, giggles erupting out of her lungs. Both girls continued yelling quietly to each other. “Seriously girl, you two were meant for each other, it’s so perfect.”

Marinette kept her smile as wide as she could the entire visit, but the moment Alya left her alone in her apartment, the smile fell.

“Yeah. Meant for each other.”

________________________________________________________________________________________________

She’d met Luka the way she met almost everyone, by slamming bodily into him. The difference this time was that her soulmate mark lit up at the same time his did. The thin band of black ink wrapped around her right wrist burst to life with blues and greens while his double line showed pink and white to indicate her. They had stood there for a while, stunned to have found their match at the age of fifteen and seventeen, respectively. But after the initial shock wore off, they managed to speak for a few minutes before exchanging phone numbers and promising that they would meet up soon to discuss the new development.

Marinette’s parents were ecstatic. While they’d hoped for someone who would want to take over the family business, they wanted Marinette to be happy more than anything. Sabine bustled around the room, gathering the ingredients for a special dinner while Marinette stayed seated at the island at her mother’s command. Sabine hummed old songs that she had learned when she was a little girl, prompting smiles from both Marinette and Tom.

“Oh, I can’t believe you found your soulmate so _quickly_, ma chérie! It took me _far_ longer to find your father!” She gushed happily to the air as she gestured with pots, pans, utensils. Marinette was suddenly quite glad she’d been banished from the kitchen for the moment.

“My flower, you had to travel from China to France to find me, of course she’d find the boy faster if they were in the same country.” Tom pointed out logically.

“Still! It’s wonderful and amazing and _rare_ to find them so young!” She crowed to the vegetables as she chopped them down rapidly into bite sized pieces and slid them into a wok. Tom snuck a look over at Marinette, rolling his eyes fondly and she giggled in reply.

“Have I met this boy, Cupcake? I want to make sure he’s good for you.”

“Of _course_ he’s good for her, they’re soulmates!” Tom reeled as Sabine smacked the back of his hand with a wooden spoon and he scowled at her rapidly retreating head.

“Sweetheart, that’s not a good indicator. It’s not just good people who find soulmates, the awful ones do too.”

“True, but our sweet Mari wouldn’t deserve any less than the best kind of person. Her soul is beautiful and kind and I’m sure his is too. Oh! Invite him and his family for dinner, chérie! Then we can meet him and your father-“ a sharp look at Tom interrupted the speech, “-can see for himself what kind of person this Luka boy is.”

“Sure. No problem. I’ll bring it up when we have our coffee date.” Marinette smiled wanly, a little overwhelmed by the attention. Sabine squealed in reply, clearly ecstatic that they’d already spoken about having a date together.

“It’s in public, right, Cupcake?” Tom frowned, much more stern than he’d been a moment ago.

“Yes, Papa, the coffee date is at a coffee shop. I’ll be around other people, don’t worry.” He nodded at the assurance.

“I just _know_ everything is going to work out for you, sweetheart! The two of you were meant to be! It’s destiny! You were _made_ for each other.” Marinette smiled back at her mother, excusing herself to the bedroom for a moment or two.

“Just need a breather,” she muttered to her father as she passed and he nodded. Marinette moved quickly, sure her father would run interference if Sabine tried to continue the conversation with her. She sighed as she reached her room.

_This day has been a little much._ Her shoulders slumped and she sat down next to a wall to rest her head against. Soulmates. Meant to be. This is how things worked, right? It shouldn’t matter that she had life plans, things she wanted to do. He would support her in all of that, he would have to. They were meant to be. Of course that meant he’d be _perfect_ for her.

________________________________________________________________________________________________

Their first coffee date was awkward. Marinette didn’t know what to say to Luka. They’d seen each other in the hallways but, given their age gap, they’d never spoken to one another. She fiddled with her fingers as she tried to think of something clever to say. _Movies? School? How does one meet their soulmate and talk about **anything** but that?_

She didn’t want him to think that was all she was interested in, though. She was never the little girl who planned out how she was going to meet and marry her soulmate. She planned her own life and trusted that her soulmate was going to fit into that somehow. But now that she’d met him, it seemed so daunting. So filled with pressure. Did they have anything in common?

“So, um. What do you want to study? For université and all that.” she ventured quietly, after a long and uncomfortable silence where they both sipped at their lattes, unsure.

“Oh, I don’t.” Her eyebrows lifted delicately and Luka smiled reassuringly before he continued. “I want to be a musician. I’m in a band and everything. I’m just getting through school so I can say I finished and then I plan to work on my career.”

“Wow. That easy?” Marinette allowed herself to be impressed despite herself. She was no stranger to planning, but everything she had already, she’d worked at. Nothing came easy to her. She had to put significant effort into all of her endeavors before they paid off properly. It was satisfying. But it was hard to imagine being so _good_ at something that he could just _do it._

“Sure, why not? I’m good at what I do and I have a solid band. I’ve already got some good industry connections, so I’m pretty set. How about you?” He crossed his legs, relaxing back into the chair and Marinette watched him while he moved. She picked up her latte, drawing a deep breath as she sipped.

“I’m planning to go into fashion design.”

“Oh? That’s pretty cool, where at?” He lightly raised his eyebrows in curiosity and he leaned forward a tiny bit to hear the answer.

“Um, well, I haven’t been accepted to anywhere yet. I’m planning to send applications to every premiere fashion school in Paris and then see who accepts me. I’ve won some junior level contests, but nothing that would really get me much notice at this point.” Marinette returned to fidgeting with her fingers, feeling inadequate. “I’m definitely not as far into my career as you are.”

Luka reached across the table, unfolding his legs as he did so. “Hey. You’re on a different path than I am. There’s no shame in that. I’m older, more established, I had some connections to help me out. You’re starting from scratch. That’s admirable too, if not more so.”

Marinette raised her eyes to meet his, relaxing her shoulders from where they’d been inching up to her chin. “That’s...very kind of you to say, Luka.” She smiled warmly across the table.

“Absolutely. You’re my soulmate, what kind of person would I be if I was anything less than encouraging?” He retrieved his hands, reaching for his latte once more. “So, what kind of music do you like? Now, this is very important, so think carefully.”

Marinette giggled at his teasing tone, covering her mouth with one hand as she did. She tapped her fingers to her lips, pretending to think hard. She hummed and met his eyes with a coy, teasing look of her own.

“Oh definitely new electronica, XY kind of stuff, you know?” Luka reeled back momentarily, a full grimace on his face before she managed to continue through the guffaws trying to break out. “It’s just so..._relentlessly mindless._ Like a perfume ad.”

A completely unamused pout sliding onto his face ensured she promptly lost the battle with herself, and Marinette cackled loudly as Luka clearly tried not to laugh in return. He eventually began chuckling as Mari’s breath started coming back to her. She sighed heavily and sat back in her chair with a happy little smile on her lips. “Seriously though, I like rock and indie music. Jagged is my favorite, but I listen to a lot of stuff, honestly.”

Luka nodded at her, a grin still lighting up his face. “Then you’ll really love my band. Do you want to come to a rehearsal sometime?”

“Uh, yeah, I’d love to. But you and your family are invited to dinner with mine and that should probably happen first. My dad is a little overprotective and he wants to meet you before I go anywhere with you that isn’t in public.” Luka chuckled in response, nodding in understanding.

“No problem, I don’t live at home anymore, moved out a year back. But I can ask my mom and sister to come and meet you all.”

“You don’t live with your family?” Marinette gasped lightly, mortified that she may have hit a sensitive subject with Luka so quickly. She tried to pull back into herself, but he smiled encouragingly at her.

“Nope, I moved out when my parents split and I didn’t much like the guy Mom decided to date after that. It just wasn’t where I needed to be, you know? I moved in with a couple of friends that I share an apartment with now, one of them is a bandmate even. It’s a good situation, but I can understand your family wanting to meet mine even if I’m not living with them.” He shrugged and turned his attention back to his coffee. Marinette squirmed in her chair, still uncomfortable with the way she’d turned the topic of discussion.

“You okay?”

“Yes! Sorry. No, I didn’t mean to bring up a sensitive subject and-“

“It’s not.” He shrugged again.

“It’s...not?” He responded by shaking his head at her for a moment.

“No. I don’t mind. It sucked that Dad wasn’t being faithful to Mom. And it really sucked that they decided to separate. But it happened, and I can’t change that. I did what I _could_ do, which is to leave the environment that I felt wasn’t doing me any good. But I don’t mind talking about it with you. You’re going to find out all of this eventually, right? Soulmates and all that.” Mari swallowed the lump in her throat.

“Yeah. Soulmates.”

“Wanna talk about that?”

“I guess we should.” She stared into the coffee that was more dregs than liquid at this point. “I just don’t really know what to say about it. We’re soulmates. Meant to be. End of story.”

“That’s kind of wrong.” Her head shot up and Mari looked at him, eyes wide and startled. “It’s not supposed to be the end of anything. It’s a new beginning.”

“I just had so many plans for my life, and that’s all so uncertain now.”

“I don’t see why you can’t still do all those things. Why can’t you figure out who you are while in a relationship?” Luka lifted an eyebrow and tilted his head a bit to the side, watching her.

“Because it’s kind of derailing? Any kind of relationship would be. You get all invested and lose sight of everything else around you. Or at least, that’s what my friends did when they got into relationships. I can’t say it was ever something I was interested in.” Mari waved her hands around uncertainly, flattening them to the table when she realized she might actually hit something if she continued to flail. She stared at where her hands met the dark wood.

“I’m willing to take it slow.”

Marinette lifted her eyes curiously.

“I mean, I’ve been in a couple relationships before, and they never really got serious because we weren’t each others’ soulmates. But I’m definitely okay with taking this as slowly as you want. We’re made for each other, right?”

Mari sighed to herself, unsure if it was relief or frustration that forced the air from her lungs. “Right. Okay. Slow then. Thank you, Luka.”

“Of course. When would your parents like to do dinner?”

“Oh, as soon as you and your family can manage. Maman is way too excited to talk about anything else until she meets you.”


	2. Family Meeting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luka brings his family over to meet Marinette’s parents. Nothing about that could possibly make Marinette feel nervous.

_This doesn’t have to be awkward, Marinette. Just breathe and remember he’s kind of got to deal with your family whether they embarrass him or not. They wouldn’t do anything to **really **scare him off, just...humiliate me forever. _

Marinette opened the door for Luka, smiling at him as broadly as she could manage. Luka smiled back at her, eyes wide and cheerful. Marinette stayed facing the door as he passed, shutting it quietly and trying to take a couple of deep breaths before spinning in place and sweeping in front of him. Her parents had closed shop early to allow the family time to prepare for the Couffaines to have dinner with them.

Well.

They’d closed early so her _Papa _would have time to prepare, since he started preparing the stew for their dinner the night before but hadn’t found the time to bake dessert until he managed to flip the sign to “Closed” early that afternoon. She still didn’t know what he’d made, but it involved every berry they stocked and took up the entire family fridge. She’d begun to be concerned about whether the pastry was as wide as the fridge or whether her Papa had piled it so high with berries the whole thing might topple with a slight breeze.

Marinette stopped as she reached the stairway and turned back to Luka. He raised his eyebrows slightly and waited for her to voice her thought.

“Are your mother and sister on their way? Should we wait down here for them? I only ask because if I take you upstairs and then have to come back down my papa is _definitely_ going to grill you while I’m gone so, um. What would you like to do?” She fidgeted through the word-vomit, and watched nervously as Luka processed the words she’d spat out so abruptly.

His pleasant smile didn’t drop as he slowly answered her. “I don’t mind if your father grills me a bit. I’m not scared of a few questions.”

Marinette’s return smile ended up a little bit strained. “Great, okay.”

_This poor man has no idea how much Papa can talk._

Marinette wrung her hands, twisting her fingers tightly together before Luka reached over and gently separated the digits.

“Hey. I’m serious. I’ll be fine.”

Marinette nodded, dropping her hands to her sides. She gestured to the stairs, and walked beside Luka as they made their way up to the Dupain-Cheng home. She closed her eyes when they reached the door, praying that whatever deity was listening, they would make this _not awkward._

The baby photo book in Sabine’s hand when the door opened told her that the deity was either sleeping or a _complete bastard._

Marinette covered her face with her palms as her mother dragged Luka over to the couch and all but shoved him into the cushions so she could talk with him quietly about how Marinette was raised and question him about his own upbringing. She tried not to groan too audibly. Luka listened patiently, a calm smile on his face. He answered every one of Sabine’s questions happily, offering little tidbits of information about his home life prior to moving out. Tom wandered up beside Marinette and she gave him the most pitiful kitten eyes she could manage, but he simply patted her shoulder.

“Sorry little bug, nothing I can do. We’ve been waiting for this for a long time, there’s no stopping her now.” Her father shrugged apologetically, with a sly smile.

_Oh no. _

“Wait, ‘we’ve’ been waiting? What did you _do, _Papa?” Marinette hissed the words quietly, suddenly very concerned about why she wasn’t allowed to open the family fridge earlier today.

Tom grinned widely and patted her shoulder once more before making his way over to the couch.

Marinette watched her father introduce himself to Luka, the two men shaking hands amiably. Luka looked unconcerned, while Tom was clearly sizing the younger man up, glancing at his blue hair and ripped clothing before settling on his face. Sabine sat beaming up at them, and Marinette wondered briefly if her mother had coached her father on how he was allowed to behave at this dinner.

The bell rang to alert them to the other two guests’ arrival and Marinette jumped slightly. She waved her mother off, shutting the door behind her firmly to keep her from trying to follow. She frowned in confusion as she caught her father enthusiastically asking Luka what his favorite fruit was before the door fully closed.

She shook her head, choosing to ignore it. She breathed deeply and slipped down the stairs. Marinette gave herself one last pep talk before opening the door and trying not to seem like she was overly nervous about this meeting.

Marinette found herself yanked into an aggressively enthusiastic hug the moment she opened the door. She struggled, screeching in panic but soon found herself shoved back into a standing position, at arms length from who she assumed must be Luka’s mother.

The woman grinned widely at her before releasing her shoulders and shaking her hand excitedly. She brushed her long gray braid out of her hair with her free hand.

“I’m guessing you’re Marinette! Good to meet you, Luka’s said a lot about you in the last few times we’ve talked. I’m Anarka, Luka’s mom and captain. You can call me Anarka. Captain when you board our ship.”

Anarka released Marinette’s hand abruptly and Marinette reeled from the sudden lack of motion. She steadied herself on the doorframe, hoping it was subtle. From the nearby giggle Luka’s sister let out, it was anything but.

“Ship?”

“Ah, of course, Luka might not have mentioned. He did say you only had the one date so far. Juleka and I, we live on a houseboat down at the docks. So when you’re in our home, you’re on my ship. And that’s when you call me captain.” Anarka proudly tapped a fist to her chest.

Marinette nodded, certain she looked stunned. She turned slightly to Luka’s sister and her eyes widened in delight.

“Oh! Juleka? I didn’t know Luka was your brother!” Marinette’s face split into a wide grin and she moved forward to get closer.

Juleka responded by smiling just as widely. She reached for Marinette, hugging her enthusiastically. She giggled lightly again and brushed the purple streaked hair out of her face as both girls stepped back.

“Didn’t think to mention it to my lab partner, to be honest,” she shrugged.

“Rude.” Marinette sniffed, pretending to be offended, and turned back to Anarka in time to see a pleased grin cross her face.

Anarka shoved her thick red rimmed glasses back up her nose before proclaiming it was time to head upstairs. Marinette was sure she went white as she remembered that she’d left Luka upstairs alone with her parents.

“Yes! We absolutely should go upstairs, please come in!” She held the door for the others to pass through the entrance, and shut it quickly behind them.

Anarka slowly made her way up the stairs, looking around and taking as much time as possible while Marinette shifted impatiently on the balls of her feet and tried not to show it. Juleka’s lips pursed tightly together as she patted Marinette’s arm.

When they finally reached the door Marinette flung it open dramatically and grinned widely as she ushered the women into the room. Her father boomed an enthusiastic welcome and Marinette scanned the room.

_Make sure Luka is...alive? Okay? Mentally unscarred? No, let’s settle for physical, mental is going to be a lost cause with my parents having free reign. Am I being too dramatic?_

Luka rose to his feet, greeting his mother and sister warmly before turning the same warm smile on Marinette. He set one hand gently on her left shoulder and pulled her closer before whispering in her ear.

“It’s okay, relax.”

Marinette forced her shoulders down and attempted to actually relax as Luka suggested, watching her parents interact with Anarka. Her father waved his hands around animatedly as they spoke, enthusiastically explaining the benefits of a steam powered bread proofer over a simple electrically heated box proofer. Marinette’s mother stood to the side, smiling at Juleka and asking quiet little questions that Juleka shyly responded to. Sabine glanced at Anarka every so often during the conversation, watching her intently and nodding occasionally.

Marinette began to nibble at her fingers, picking at the hangnails with her teeth and pulling them off. At first her movements were small enough that Luka didn’t notice, but as she more aggressively attacked her nails he shifted and frowned down at her.

“Hey, what’s up?”

“Nothing! I am totally fine and everything is okay and I am not worried at all.” Marinette pulled at a particularly tricky hangnail too hard, causing it to bleed slightly and she jammed her finger into her mouth.

Luka’s frown deepened and he pulled her hand from her mouth, inspecting her fingers before kissing the back of her hand gently. “You can talk to me, you know.”

Marinette hesitated briefly. Luka nudged her shoulder with his own.

“I just. I’m nervous? I want this to go well and I know that when Maman met Papa’s parents it went _terribly _and I just want all of this to work out okay and I’m super nervous about all of it.”

“Okay. But look at our families. They’re fine. No one is mad. They’re talking and everything is going great. You and I being soulmates happened for a reason, it’s all going to work out.” Luka gestured to their parents, speaking amiably with each other. Juleka had moved to the side, allowing Tom and Sabine to converse with Anarka together.

“Huh. This is actually okay,” Marinette muttered, too low for anyone but Luka to hear. He grinned, pulling her closer to his chest as he squeezed her shoulder.

Marinette went to move, to offer food or drinks or anything to add to the energy of the room. She was stopped by Luka’s arm stiffening and holding her in place. She glanced up at his face curiously. He lowered his head to whisper directly into her ear.

“You don’t need to do anything, Marinette. Just let the moment exist for now. _They’re doing fine._ Leave it be.” He straightened, watching their families with a small smile adorning his mouth.

Marinette’s brow tightened and she bit her bottom lip, trying to listen to his advice and sit still. Her skin itched to do something, but as the conversation wore on and she observed, she realized her parents had been just as anxious as she was. The hunch of her father’s shoulders had relaxed. His hands were no longer waving wildly about, but moved with purpose and intent as they always did when he was sure about something. Her mother no longer bore the tiny stress wrinkle that pinched the skin above her eyes, and her smile had grown more genuine over the last few minutes.

Marinette swallowed uncertainly. _I should be doing something, shouldn’t I? I can’t just stand here doing nothing. _She fidgeted slightly and Luka glanced back at her.

He looked down at the ground, his eyes far off and studying something in another place and time. “Sometimes we do more damage by interfering, Marinette. Dad taught me that. A lot of times it’s better to just...be hands off and let things go the way they’re going to go. All the best things in my life have come from being patient. Everything works out the way it’s meant to.

Luka raised his eyes to lock onto Marinette’s intently, and she found it hard to breathe with all of that intensity focused directly on her. She nodded, shifting one last time before turning back to watch her parents.

Her throat was itchy now, as if the crackles of energy crawling on her skin had slithered down her throat instead to settle into her stomach. It churned and unsettled her as she grit her teeth, trying desperately to be patient. _Probably my worst trait. I guess that’s why Luka is so patient. To make up for me. _

Marinette rubbed at her throat at an attempt to relieve the itch but she couldn’t deny that her interference would have done more damage than good in the current situation. It was actually quite pleasant when she could bring herself to ignore how antsy doing nothing made her feel. The quiet chatter filled her home, punctuated by booming laughs emitted by either Tom or Anarka. Everyone seemed at ease. Happy. She tilted her head.

_This wouldn’t have existed without Luka and I being soulmates. So I guess his life is already melding with mine. This could actually be okay. _

By the time they sat down to eat the meal that Tom had prepared, Marinette had relaxed considerably. She’d been able to chat happily with both Anarka and Juleka for a time and she’d lost a great deal of the tension plaguing her shoulders over the last few hours. She grinned at Luka as she ripped into a loaf of her Papa’s bread, handing him a chunk of it.

The chatter around the table while the large pot of beef bourguignon was steadily depleted was light and comfortable and Marinette found herself settling into it like a warm blanket had been wrapped around her. She’d never been good with get-togethers, preferring instead to serve or prepare food in the kitchen while others interacted. But this was so _nice._ It was calm and peaceful, and Luka had been right. She didn’t need to be constantly _doing._

After dinner her father brought a large strawberry pistachio torte out of the fridge, and the conversations continued over delicate slices of the creamy cake and thickened anglaise accompanied by bitter coffee to offset the decadent pastry. Suspicious, Marinette peered around her father as he opened the fridge door. She barely restrained herself from smacking her forehead when she caught sight of the twelve differently flavored tortes, most of which weren’t even bakery stock items.

Luka’s verbal contributions were few and far between, but Marinette beamed when he complimented her father’s baking. He was quiet, only bothering to speak when he truly had something to say. _And I can talk **too **much, so really this is pretty balanced this way. He’s so much more at peace than I am. _

When the time finally came for their guests to leave, Marinette was sure to see them to the door. She thanked Anarka and Juleka profusely for coming, hugging Juleka and exchanging phone numbers so they could stay in touch more frequently. Luka watched his family walk down the darkened street before turning back to Marinette.

“Thank you for having us over tonight.”

“Oh! It’s no prog- _problem,_ thank you for coming!” Marinette spluttered her response quickly, satisfied that she’d only slipped up once. “It uh. It was a lot calmer than I thought it would be. Thank you.”

Luka smiled and nodded at her before starting to turn away. Marinette wavered for a moment before reaching up and dropping a light kiss on his cheek, blushing heavily at the forwardness of the move. Luka looked stunned for a moment before smiling again, a little more broadly than before.

“Good night Marinette. I’ll text you tomorrow.”

Marinette nodded and retreated back inside to rest her back on the heavy door, sighing to herself. _I thought this was going to be so **weird**, but I think...I think being with Luka is actually going to make me a better person. This will be good for me. I can feel it. _


End file.
